A YouTuber has filmed the moment he discovered the wreckage of a plane which apparently crashed into Area 51 nearly seventy years ago.
As many will be aware, mystery and speculation has surrounded Area 51 - a highly classified United States Air Force facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range - for many years now, with conspiracies regarding extraterrestrial life being strongly believed by people across the world.
It's incredibly rare for anyone to get close to the US Air Force base, but one YouTuber once managed to make a pretty remarkable discovery in relation to the infamous area.
Advert
In a 2020 video uploaded to the channel Brave Wilderness, host Mark Vins touted the discovery of a crashed plane as one of his 'most ambitious adventures'.
The plane in question is believed to have been headed for Area 51 before it crashed into Mount Charleston in Nevada in November, 1955.
While making the journey, Vins speculated on what may have been inside the ill fated plane, whether it be pieces from an alien spacecraft or spy documents.
Advert
Vins explained the backstory of the plane: "The flight was leaving from Burbank, California on its way to Area 51. It got stuck in some bad weather and because of the secrecy of this mission, it was actually flying underneath the radar.
"And unfortunately missed clearing the peak of Mount Charleston by 50 feet."
Due to the storm it had found itself in, the plane crashed at 8:19am on 17 November - killing all fourteen men on board.
A team was dispatched to bring the bodies back down from the mountains. Disturbingly, one man had meant to be aboard the flight but had overslept, so the plane took off without him.
Advert
One of the propellers serves as a memorial to the men on board the plane - the only one of its kind dedicated to the Cold War, according to the US Forest Service.
When he came across the main bulk of the wreckage, the YouTuber found that pieces of it were scattered all along the slope.
Vins explained the condition of the wreckage, saying: "There's a few reasons why this aircraft is in the condition that it is.
"One is obvious - there was a crash. The second reason is, about a year after the crash, the air force came up here and detonated this place with dynamite.
Advert
"Blew it up to smithereens. And that's because of the secret nature of the mission.
"They [the plane] were heading to Area 51 to work on a project none other than the U2 spy plane used in the Cold War.
"Very very famous aircraft. Very critical for US intelligence in the Cold War. And it couldn't risk any of those parts being confiscated, or getting into enemy hands. So they came up here and detonated what was left.
"Fourteen lives were lost in the crash and because of the secrecy of the mission, their families weren't notified until four decades later.
Advert
"I can only imagine what they went through. Not only losing their loved ones, but knowing how and not knowing why."
The information was declassified in 1998.
Fans applauded Vins for making the discovery and for providing the history behind the unfortunate accident.
One wrote: "Crazy sad, awesome, historical, and amazing how secretive it was. I was shock when you said 'Their family’s weren’t notified until 4 decades later after the crash'."
Another commented: "Wow, this is fascinating! It looks so fresh like it just crashed. Yes, the pieces are rusty and all but how did they stay at the crash site for all these years??
"And why didn't the government remove them? It is really cool how they were able to stay in place for so long."
Topics: Area 51, Conspiracy Theories
Ben Thompson